Funerary Rites
This page contains information and speculation on funerary rites of Telluris as recorded by the players. Genivana Radurja doesn't impose any particular method of burial, but traditionally in Genivana the dead are returned to the forest, sometimes in elaborately prepared gardens. Ashenia Ashenites and Kiranites bury their dead or entomb them should they be able to afford a tomb. The funerary practices typically involve wrapping the dead in finely woven burial shrouds, sometimes embroidered with prayers, and anointing the corpse with a little myrrh before placing them into a coffin. The coffins of royalty and the rich are sometimes decorated with simple geometric inlays in differently coloured wood, metal, ivory and precious stones, note that burial in a coffin decorated with silver is illegal for all but royalty. Then the coffin is covered in a fine black shroud, often a family heirloom, and carried in procession to the grave site. The shroud is then lifted off the coffin and burial or entombment commences with few witnesses, the procession having dispersed by this point. Graves and tombs are marked with simple stone markers bearing the name of the deceased and are rarely visited save by those responsible for tending them. Of note is the now almost completely discontinued practice of removing the deceased's heart and burning it after death. It persists only in remote areas and was intended to prevent evil spirits from inhabiting the body. Kyarans likewise bury their dead, but they make little use of coffins as the custom hasn't caught on in that region instead just using shrouds. The shrouds are usually ritually stained with the blood of the deceased individuals family, both as an act of faith to their god and also as a final gift to show how much they care. They bury their dead with possessions such as copper and bronze jewellery, keys, ritual objects and clay vessels containing dried Somnora. Each year they have festivals of the dead where they go to the cemeteries and decorate the gravestones with flowers, sing songs, tell stories, have picnics, that sort of thing. The Draganan prefer cremation on wooden pyres of aromatic timber. Then they collect the ashes and place them in a plain urn along with the feather from a Voidbeast and a small golden coin or disk of the same. The former ostensibly to speed the dead to the afterlife and the latter as a gift to the spirits. The urn is then buried in one of the forests of the region, whichever is closest. Interestingly, the burning of their dead is considered a sacrifice to appease the spirits. By burning the corporeal remains, they hope to make up for all they've taken from the land over the course of their lives. Priory of Ascension Followers of Ascension who have a strong enough faith simply dissolve into the Force, leaving behind Force Ghosts to guide future padawans... Bordeux Typically, the burial method is straight up and down, with the head facing downwards. Sometimes a gold sword (although more often than not, it is simply gilded) is buried with them, but that is normally the more affluent Bordeusi. Glazfell In Glazfell and Estglaz, fires are set to melt holes in the ice, then the body is lain at the bottom of the resulting pool before it freezes over again. A cairn of stones is then laid atop the burial site, both so people don't walk on top of the corpse and so it doesn't show through the ice. In Frosskov, bodies are wrapped in silk and mummified before being laid in a wooden coffin. The coffins are placed in underground mausoleums standing-up, where the spiders can't get them, and stored there until such time as the last flesh comes clean of the bones. Bones are not considered part of a person's self any more than clothing is, and the bones are given to the Mausoleum-keepers as payment for their services. The keepers usually sell them off for more easily spent currency, and craftsmen make things out of the ossified tissue. In Skarval, corpses are let to float upon the great rivers after a short ceremony of release, and are usually carried off to sea if they aren't diverted somewhere underground beforehand. In Drugaud (and more specifically Shezhan), corpses are taken to large crypt-rooms dug into the side of Emohesab, and haphazardly laid there after a (very) short ceremony. Most such rooms have become great ossuaries, haphazardly flowing with the intermixed clean white bones of the long-dead. In other parts of Drugaud, among nomadic Tieflin, corpses are usually disposed of via volcanic vent. The Drugaudi ascribe virtually no importance to the corpse, as the soul leaves the body at the moment of death and the latter is afterward reduced to distasteful and disease-ridden meat. Raaneka In Raaneka, the most important burial custom is the appointment of one person who agrees to stay sober enough to remember where they left the body. I suppose it's buried after the Remembrance Revelry. Hrathan-Tuor In Hrathan-Tuor, there's a fairly elaborate ceremony conducted under the stars (If a full moon or eclipse is on the way the funeral may be delayed till then as those events are significant to the moon and star guardians (Now Lunakellai)). After that, the person is considered to have left the body so the corpse is no longer important, and is usually thrown in a communal pit. In Hrathan they burn them because Hrathan is mostly underground and big grave sites take up space, and ashes are easier to store than bodies. The Ignato Empire In Woodwind nobles and uppity ups are sent out to sea on a burning raft, lower class folks get buried outside cities and their graves are usually unmarked or marked with natural things that fade away through time and wear and tear. In Aloren they have similar practices to Genivana and have in fact adopted Radurjic custom which was well in line with their Druidic culture. In Nyroth it used to be that Faefolk were entombed in great family mausoleums and were often laid to rest with the bodies of their Lizardfolk slaves to guard them. With the changed dynamic between the two races such practice has largely fallen out of style and now rich Lizardfolk and Faefolk both may be entombed though it's usually a smaller personal tomb, and most others just get buried in stone coffins, but the tradition of sending along the valuables from life is continued by both peoples. AQUA The Quill of the Atur faith believe that when a person dies, their spirit becomes a bird. As such, they typically leave bodies on raised platforms for the birds to eat. The head is removed and kept by the family as a home for friendly spirits (often named Bob), the body either buried or placed into the river. The Islanders who follow the Shamans of the Wild believe in burial at sea. Wrap the body in linen and with a bunch of weights, and down to the depths they go. Wealthier Islanders will commission a special commorative spirit pole, often set on the shore to look out to where the body lay, to watch over it. The Children of Kina don't care about the body after death. It is far more important to assure the soul a quick and painless transition from life to death. Lingering and painful deaths obscure the souls route back to Her. Bodies can follow any disposal practice. Category:Culture Category:World of Telluris Category:Tellurian Culture